Florida added 25,200 jobs in December, ADP reports

Monthly gain was biggest of 2013

January 16, 2014|By Jim Stratton, Orlando Sentinel

Florida posted its biggest monthly jobs gain for 2013 in December, adding about 25,200, according to a new report from payroll processor ADP.

The company, in its latest regional employment report, said Florida ranked second only to Texas, which gained about 29,100 jobs. Florida's December number was up from November's gain of about 19,450 jobs.

Nationally, ADP estimates that the U.S. added 238,000 jobs in December, far more than the government's initial estimate of just 74,000. Although ADP often serves as a barometer of what's happening in the job market, it does not always jibe with official estimates.

The company said that all told, Florida gained 170,000 private-sector jobs in 2013. ADP does not include public-sector jobs in its estimates.

December's report, which included the biggest one-month gain since 2006, again showed that growth in the state was concentrated in service-sector jobs, which typically pay less than manufacturing, or goods-producing, jobs.

The service sector accounted for 21,480 of the new jobs. Goods-producing jobs grew by 3,750.

That's particularly relevant in Central Florida, where the economy is dominated by service jobs tied to the region's booming tourism industry. The area now has more than 221,000 leisure and hospitality jobs, which account for 20 percent of the total workforce.

Statewide, ADP said, the professional and business services sector posted the biggest gains in December, adding a little more than 8,000 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities added about 5,200.

Next week, the state will release its unemployment and jobs report for December. In November, Florida's jobless rate dipped to 6.4 percent, but the state added relatively few jobs — about 6,100, according to initial estimates.

The state's job market is a central issue in Florida's 2014 governor's race. Republican Gov. Rick Scott has cast himself as the "jobs governor," promising to heal the state's economy after it was devastated during the Great Recession.

Since taking office, Florida's unemployment rate has fallen more than 4 percentage points, but much of that improvement is due to a shrinking labor force. The state has gained about 446,000 private-sector jobs, but almost one-quarter of that has been in the leisure and hospitality sector. Those jobs have grown by 10 percent while total jobs have increased 5.7 percent.